Job overview

Are you an excellent communicator with good listening and people skills? Can you work on your own initiative and be tenacious yet tactful in solving problems? Are you comfortable talking to people who are emotionally distressed or angry?

We are seeking to recruit and PALS and Complaints officer to join our PALS and Complaints team at our Chelsea site. The successful applicant will be the first point of contact for patients, their families and carers raising concerns about their health care.

You will possess excellent listening and interpersonal skills including the ability to effectively manage relationships, demonstrate empathy and understanding, impartiality and tact. The successful applicant must also be able to recognise the sensitive needs of patients and their carers and be able to communicate complex and sensitive or contentious information with tact, diplomacy and understanding.

The role also requires the person to work closely with colleagues within the Trust and external agencies, have good organisational and time management skills and the ability to manage competing priorities against tight deadlines.

You will also be the first point of contact for patients, carers and staff to advise on the Trust’s complaints process. The team is often the first point of contact for patients who want to make a complaint or raise a concern and work closely with the complaints team aiming to provide a highly visible service for patients.

Main duties of the job

To support the administration and response to concerns and complaints for a defined division across all Trust sites. 

To support patients and the public in resolving their concerns and formal complaints and achieve resolution as early as possible and to promote the learning of lessons from complaints. 

To administer and utilise a system of feedback on the concern and complaints process for patients and the public, and to work on continuous improvement for the PALS and Complaints team.

To ensure high standards of record keeping in association with concerns and formal complaints

To provide administrative support to the division on the management of concerns and complaints, to include drafting and proof reading acknowledgement letters and the administration of the complaints process on the electronic system

To support the PALS and Complaints Manager in the collection of data relating to concerns and complaints

Working for our organisation

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London.

Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children’s services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us 'Good' in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and 'Outstanding' in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.

We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.

The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven’t heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.

 Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.